Providing current and prospective customers
with clear, cost-efficient pathways towards
a world of seamless unified critical
communications is a major focus for Tait
Communications’ Chief Technology Officer
Ross Spearman.

While he has a strong background in technology
development for cellular mobile networks (his previous
role, based in Seattle, was CTO for Ericsson), Ross
believes almost all countries’ emergency services will
continue to see digital land mobile radio networks
playing an important role for many years alongside and
in support of cellular.

Ross says Tait is leveraging its deep knowledge of public
safety and other critical communications users’ needs
to create roadmaps of solutions and technologies that
provide both effective assistance to the user and which
allow customers to move toward likely future technologies
where the bearer is abstracted from the end-user at a pace
they are comfortable with and can afford.

“You’re seeing that with our Unify solutions,” Rosssays. “Take UnifyVehicle, for example. It selects froma growing range of communication bearers to providethe most effective route and it does that in a way whichis seamless and invisible to the officer or utility workerin the field. Whether they’re in the middle of a built-up area on a day with no serious trouble, or out in thecountryside in a cellular blackspot in the middle ofa hurricane, they just want the gear to do what it issupposed to do: keep them connected to Dispatch andkeep the information flowing both ways.

“Over time, if the predictions are correct, more and
more of the traffic will flow over the expanded cellular
networks. But when you look at the investment required
to get anywhere near whole-of-country coverage -
and get it sufficiently hardened to perform at Public
Protection Disaster Relief (PPDR) grade - pragmatism
suggests a complementary mix of systems for the
foreseeable future,” Ross says.

“Another thing we’re finding encouraging, comes from
our determination to enable more partnering and third-party development through open standards. We’re
working with various partners on applications aimed at
public safety, transport, utilities and mining, oil and gas
– our traditional markets – but we’re also seeing strong
interest from solutions providers for use cases that are
new to us. That’s really exciting.”
Ross is a New Zealand engineer whose career with
Ericsson led him to increasingly-senior roles in Europe
and the United States. What drew him to this role?

“Primarily I was attracted by the transition which
this sector is embarking on. This kind of evolution is
what I do; it’s what really excites me.” he says. “Tait
Communications’ values and brand are centred around
innovation, quality, and a commitment to provide
solutions that make our customers’ work more effective.

This CTO role provides an opportunity to really influencehow this industry develops. All of that makes for a greatworking life.”The CTO position with Tait Communications is basedat the primary engineering and research centre, at thecompany’s headquarters in Christchurch, New Zealand.“…out in the countryside ina cellular blackspot in themiddle of a hurricane, theyjust want the gear to do whatit is supposed to do: keepthem connected to Dispatchand keep the informationflowing both ways. ”